About the First Battle of Ueda
The First Battle of Ueda was fought in 1585 (2nd day of the intercalary 8th month, Tenshō 13) at Ueda, Shinano Province. Refusing to hand over Numata, Sanada Masayuki lures 7,000 Tokugawa troops into the castle town of Ueda with barely 2,000 men, and breaks them with a flank attack by Nobuyuki from Toishi Castle and the swollen Kangawa River. The battle that made the Sanada name known throughout the land.
- Year
- 15852nd day of the intercalary 8th month, Tenshō 13
- Place
- Ueda, Shinano Province
- Era
- Azuchi–Momoyama period
The two armies
Tokugawa forces Commander-in-chiefTorii Mototada 12,0004 units 
Sanada forces Commander-in-chiefSanada Masayuki 2,8004 units Troop strengthTotal of the units shown in 3D
Fought 12,000
Fought 2,800
Tokugawa forcesBy troop strength
-
Ii Naomasa 井伊直政 5,000 - Torii Mototada 鳥居元忠 Commander-in-chief 3,000
-
Ōkubo Tadayo 大久保忠世 2,000 - Hiraiwa Chikayoshi 平岩親吉 2,000
Sanada forcesBy troop strength
- Sanada Masayuki 真田昌幸 Commander-in-chief 1,200
-
Sanada Nobuyuki 真田信幸 800 - Town Ambushers 城下の伏兵 500
- Sanada Decoys 真田の誘い手 300
Portraits are public-domain images from Wikimedia Commons (some are later imagined depictions).
How the battle unfoldedTimes follow the 3D clock
- Summer, Tenshō 13Ch. 1
NumataNumata Is Not for Giving
Tenshō 13. To honour his peace with the Hōjō, Tokugawa Ieyasu orders Sanada Masayuki to hand Numata in Kōzuke over to them. But Numata is land the Sanada won by their own strength. Masayuki refuses, breaks with the Tokugawa and allies himself with Uesugi Kagekatsu of Echigo.
- Late 8th monthCh. 2
MarchSeven Thousand Against Ueda
Enraged, Ieyasu sends Torii Mototada, Ōkubo Tadayo, Hiraiwa Chikayoshi and others against Ueda with some 7,000 troops. The Tokugawa cross the Kangawa River and make camp around Kokubun-ji. The Sanada waiting for them number barely 2,000.
- Morning, day 2Ch. 3
LureMasayuki at the Go Board
Masayuki, it is said, sat calmly playing go in Ueda Castle. A small Sanada force sallies out, skirmishes with the Tokugawa, then breaks on purpose and runs for home. Emboldened, the Tokugawa pour straight after it into the castle town of Ueda.
- Noon, day 2Ch. 4
TownThe Staggered Palisades
The castle town is laced with palisades set in a staggered pattern. The great army, unable to advance as it wishes, jostles its way toward the second bailey. Then arquebus fire and arrows rain down from the castle all at once, and fire breaks out among the houses of the town.
- Afternoon, day 2Ch. 5
StrikeNobuyuki from Toishi
As the Tokugawa falter, Masayuki's main force sallies from the castle. Then a force under his eldest son Nobuyuki, hurrying down from Toishi Castle, falls on their flank. Caught from the front and the side, the Tokugawa collapse and flee east.
- Dusk, day 2Ch. 6
RiverSwallowed by the Kangawa
Before the fleeing Tokugawa lies the Kangawa, swollen by the rain. With the Sanada at their backs, man after man is swept away by the current. The Tokugawa dead numbered some 1,300; the Sanada lost only about forty.
- Late intercalary 8th monthCh. 7
RetreatThe Sanada Name Spreads
The Tokugawa go on to attack Maruko Castle but cannot take it, and even reinforcements under Ii Naomasa change nothing. In the 11th month, when the senior retainer Ishikawa Kazumasa defects to Hideyoshi, the Tokugawa pull all their troops out of Shinano. Sanada Masayuki, who drove off the Tokugawa with a small force, became known throughout the land.
In Ultra detailBattle Pass
The same scene in the standard quality and in Ultra detail. Drag the line to compare, and switch between "Wide" and "Close-up". Ultra detail adds rugged mountains, forests and rocks in 3D, rippling seas and rivers, rows in the fields and soldiers as figures. Chapter 1 of every battle can be watched in Ultra detail without the Battle Pass.
FAQ
What was the First Battle of Ueda?
Refusing to hand over Numata, Sanada Masayuki lures 7,000 Tokugawa troops into the castle town of Ueda with barely 2,000 men, and breaks them with a flank attack by Nobuyuki from Toishi Castle and the swollen Kangawa River. The battle that made the Sanada name known throughout the land.
When and where did the First Battle of Ueda take place?
It took place in 1585 at Ueda, Shinano Province (2nd day of the intercalary 8th month, Tenshō 13).
Who fought in the First Battle of Ueda?
Sanada Masayuki of the Sanada forces, Torii Mototada of the Tokugawa forces were among the commanders.
Can I watch the First Battle of Ueda in 3D?
Yes. This page plays a free three-minute 3D animated overview showing the deployments, the movements of each army and how the battle was decided.